Shifting Democratic grounds on Israel
The recent round of violence and discourse dynamics on the U.S. political left

Written by Daphna Kaufman

Introduction and summary

This document highlights a number of trends emanating from progressive discourse on Israel during the conflict that began with tensions in Jerusalem and spiraled into violence within Israeli cities and towns and bombing campaigns between Hamas and the IDF. It focuses on trends that currently present as significant evolutions of the status quo of reactions to Israeli-Palestinian conflictsover the years, including that:

• Progressive prisms frame the logic and language of activity on the left in opposition to the Israeli side of the conflict. Specifically, this is evident in conflating the conflict with the struggle for Black lives in the U.S., and in challenging the very existence of a special U.S.-Israel relationship.

• A robust progressive organizational infrastructure and prominent progressive policy voices play a central role in mainstreaming on the left and in the Democratic Party the progressive brand of activism in opposition to Israeli side of the conflict.

• Increasing doubt and uncertainty about Israel’s future is reflected in the current progressive discourse, particularly among Jewish groups.